Reply to the 16th annual report of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 19 September 1970 (11th Sitting) (see Doc. 2803, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development). Text adopted by the Assembly on 19 September 1970 (11th Sitting).
The Assembly,
1. Recalling its conviction of the vital need for ECMT to reach agreement on the main guidelines of a general surface transport policy, since without such agreement it will remain virtually impossible to arrive at meaningful solutions to numerous pressing transport problems of international importance ; conscious that some progress has been made during the past year in narrowing the differences of views between ECMT member States in this field ; welcoming the emphasis currently being placed by ECMT on organising a series of objective economic studies with a view to exploring the questions still standing in the way of agreement being reached, nevertheless re-emphasises the heavy and continuing cost to the whole of Europe so long as such agreement is not reached :
2. Deeply concerned at the growing burdens being imposed on the budgets of ECMT member States by the continued overall deterioration in the state of railway finances, warmly approves the recent emphasis placed by the Council of Ministers of ECMT on encouraging the development of international rail freight traffic in seeking to increase the attractiveness of rail haulage to potential users by improving the quality of the services offered rather than by restricting road competition,
3. Believes, in particular, that there would be great advantages for rail freight traffic in simplifying and speeding up customs procedures relating to such traffic at international frontiers, so as to eliminate the lengthy delays which frequently resuit from present customs arrangements ;
4. Holds that the time has come for ECMT to re-examine the particular needs of Western Europe so far as the so-called "E" road network is concerned, with a view to deciding whether further development of the Western European part of the network is not called for in the context of present plans for encouraging regional economie development in various ECMT member States ;
5. Records its disappointment at the fact that definitive agreement has still not been reached on a European Highway Code ; and, while having approved of the decision of ECMT to attempt to secure as wide an acceptance as possible of the Code by utilising the framework of the UN Economie Commission for Europe for the final negotiations, again calls on ECMT to itself resume the negotiations with a view to securing the entry into force of the Code between ECMT Members if definitive agreement has not been reached in the framework of the UN Economie Commission for Europe by 30 June 1971 at the latest ;
6. Expresses its concern at the lack of liaison between ECMT and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) so far as relates to the work which both organisations are currently undertaking in the field of standardisation of containers, and calls on both bodies to work closely together in this field ;
7. Welcoming the work undertaken by ECMT in studying problems of traffic congestion in town centres ; conscious that specific situations and needs in this field vary greatly from one locality to another ; believing that it would be invaluable if the information amassed by ECMT could be made available to individual communes and municipalities who could profit from the experience of other similarly placed communes and municipalities who have been faced with similar problems ; noting that the European Conference of Local Authorities existing in the framework of the Council of Europe could also assist in this matter, invites ECMT to examine how the existence of the information in its possession could be made known to communes and municipalities, and how information appropriate to their specific individual problems could be transmitted to them on request.
